What Community Colleges Mean for Students
Wednesday, July 22, 2009 by Mike Bertolino 
Salt Lake City Community CollegeCommunity Colleges changing what it's like to be a student. These changes are simply reshaping the experience and could wind up helping students in the long run. The community college is an underrated asset to the college student.
When students spend there first two years at a community college they don't have the other disturbances (good or bad) that students who are living a school face. Students just go to school and that's it. Adopting this type of focus can help out a lot in the long run. For one, your GPA will be higher. Also you'll have developed skills to handle college level material in a setting that has less temptations. So, when the time comes for you to move on to a university where there are bars and parties you'll know when to let go.
Community Colleges are not only a vacuum for developing good study skills, they are also good for your wallet. Starting out at a community college will ease loans and help save for when you transfer out to get your bachelors degree. Having this extra money could lead to a better apartment, being able to pay for a better program or staying in a city with a higher cost of living.
Getting an associates degree from a community college can get get your general education requirements out of the way and give you more time to figure out what your career is going to be. So, if you plan on being undeclared you might want to think about going to a community college, where you'll have two years to decide. And if you decide during your first year, there is nothing that says students can't transfer out after one year.
Has community college been apart of your experience as a student? Comment below to share!
Image credit: Flicker User sic_jm
Reader Comments (21)
I went to a community college for the first year of college, but only because my high school grades weren't good enough to get into the University I wanted. It was great, my GPA was like 3.5 and I was on the presidents list of the school. I don't know it was just motivation to get them to let me into a real University or what, but it was pretty sweet.
A lot of people down on community colleges, and don't realize their benefits. I've had some AMAZING professors that remember my name when I run into them across campus, and the personal attention is really great. There's less competition to get campus jobs, managing positions in activities (student ambassadors, newspapers, etc), and the price is unbeatable.
Nice college.I think it is good college among others.
I went to community college for my first two years, and even though it was a hassle to transfer and the facilities weren't as good, it was much cheaper and the teachers were better for the most part. Now I go to the university and pay more than twice as much per semester and most of the professors are asses. Community college professors usually cared about their students and were just as smart and better at teaching than the ones I have had at the university so far.
Nowadays it's hard to find a job because of the recession. There are many got unemployed and seeking job now. As a worker, I am also a blood donor to help on my daily needs. I think this is a very big help for the students who are seeking for a part time job now or got unpaid internship and especially it is summer time which are some of us need extra income. I'm donating for 2 years now and it really helps because every donation I make up to $50/hour for blood donation. As we all know, Blood bank shortages kill tons of people all the time and it is the time to spread the word about blood donation and give blood, you will never know when YOU might need blood. This really helpful even it is just a part time job, the bottom line of this is to saved lives.
If you are thinking to be a blood donor and looking for specific blood banks and a directory of blood donation centers you can check it out here at bloodbanker dot com/banks.
Thanks for sharing. Nice Post.
The community colleges are not appealing to many students. However, there are also lots of benefits from attending in one. Why would some weant to study somewhere else. Do the disadvantages of attending community college outweigh the disadvantages?
I would really like to see a lot more colleges popping around.
Mike Davis,
Sterling Silver Jewelry
Thanks for the article. I will be going to community college this semester after attending a four year college for just 1 year(my fresh year).i had a bad time in class and im hoping that being in a community college will get me focused (enough lol)
Community college is great but you still have to be dedicated to achieve success. A lot of people in LA community colleges don't appreciate the education and take it way too easy. They end up never finishing or lag it for three to four years instead of the original two.
I got my Associate's Degree from a community college that at the time was affiliated with a larger university. They became a junior college a while back, but I'm returning for a one year certificate in a new field b/c the price is better, the training is more complete, and its close to home. Most community colleges talk to area businesses and tailor their courses to those jobs. Its been my experience that most employers ask what I know, rather than the college I attended.
Being on a smaller campus means more face time with your professors. You also will find the same faces in your classes -- instant study groups with email, texting, and phones. With smaller class size, your professor is more apt to see if you are having a problem and will know you by name and learning ability. I've seen more than one professor tell a student to stay after class so that s/he could help them understand the lesson.
The only drawback is that I've never been to a kegger, but I was thrown up on during a beach party so I guess that almost qualifies!
College is what YOU make of it. Remember that. You decide whether to watch reruns of Battlestar Galactica or study for that exam.
Thanks for your input.. i agree.. look at people who've been put on a pedestal and they're known for their own perseverance and strength, not what school they went to.
I go to a community college and it's pretty good overall. There's a mix of good and bad professors, but that's what you will find anywhere. It is definitely cheaper and if you plan properly you can arrange for most (or all) of your credits to transfer. I would definitely recommend community college to students who aren't sure exactly what they want to do just yet.
You make good points about community college. Well, one should have time to choose your career carefully, right?
I never went to a community college (local ones only offered two classes that would have gone towards my planned degree), but like you said they are a great way to save money.
I wanted to say though, to be careful about choosing a comm college. My local ones were a joke of an school and the ease this offered really hurt some of my friends who transferred to my university. They were in the top 5% of their comm college and had alot of trouble just keeping up at first in their university classes.
Funny, I actually went to the community college that is pictured, Salt Lake Community College. I chose that school because as a previous post mentioned, other schools in the state do not prepare you enough. I thought it was great, there were a mix of good and bad professors but you can research before hand now to know which professors are good. Some of my classes there were only 7 people so you could learn very easily because of the focus of the teacher. Also because of my grades I received a honors transfer scholarship that paid for my bachelors. I was afraid at first that I wouldn't be up to par when entering the University but after a semester it was fine. But I would say you have to plan more because you have to decide what university you will attend and some universities are easy to transfer to and others will set you back a semester or more. If I could do it over again I would get an associates in math. That would allow for more options in regards to what major you would pursue for your bachelors when you transfer.
Hi!
I'm writing an article about money management for community college students, and I'd love to chat with someone about how you manage your money while attending community college. If you're available for a few questions, would you mind posting your e-mail below my comment?
Many thanks!
I recently got my associates from a community college and am now employed at the University down the street (so now I can get my bachelors for free). There were good things and bad things about my time there. The benefits of lower cost, getting GE credits out of the way, smaller classes, and less distractions come with some downfalls. Credits don't always transfer very well, you need to look into this before commiting 2 years of your life. I almost went to ITT tech before I found out nothing transfers from there to anywhere. Another down fall is the mentality of the other students. The younger students treat it like high school and can distrubt class while some older students may have forgotten everything the once knew and slow things down. Both cases hamper the amount of things you learn, which may not make you as prepared for a University.
Another grip I had was with the full time faculty. The part timers were great. They usually were professionals working to make an extra buck or Grad students at a University working to make an extra buck. These people taught well and knew there stuff. But the full time faculty (for the most part) acted like they have given up and were going through the paces. They didn't cut it at the big Universities with the big pay and settled into their crummy lives.
Well, that's my two cents anyway.
RYAN--
Could you post your e-mail address in a comment? I will e-mail you privately once you do.
I just finished a course this summer at a community college in my senior year. Why? Simply because my regular school is a lot harder. So generally, taking a course at a community college could be easier.
Going to a community college is definitely a plus. I have a cousin who went to a community college for a year and she definitely enjoyed her stay there.